Steam cleaning appliances require a substantial amount of power to operate properly. Typically, steam cleaning appliances require around 1,800 Watts of power to sufficiently heat stored water to provide the necessary steam for the cleaning appliance.
Similarly, steam irons require a substantial amount of power to operate properly. Steam irons generally include two heating elements, one to heat the iron and the other to heat water to produce steam. In the United States, the combined amount of electrical power utilized by both heating elements in a steam iron can not exceed, for practical purposes, 1,800 Watts due to UL regulations limiting voltage levels to 120 volts, with a maximum draw of 15 amps at this voltage level.
Given the above-mentioned power constraints, a device that combines a steam cleaner with a steam iron would not be able to draw sufficient power to power the separate heating elements of the combined device. One attempt to overcome this problem is disclosed in European Patent No. EP 0 809 728 B1, but the design shown therein is intended for use in Europe, which has 220 voltage levels and power standards suitably high that provide sufficient power to a device that includes both a steam cleaner and a steam iron.
Presently available combined steam cleaner and steam iron apparatus, such as that device which is described in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,711,840 incorporated by reference herein, overcomes the aforementioned problem; yet, the design requires a first and a second boiler element. As such, there exists a need for a combined steam cleaner having a reduction of the components necessary to perform the desired function and, thereby, enabled to reduce the cost of the combined apparatus.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a simple, low cost, combined steam cleaner and steam iron apparatus designed to properly operate under restricted power requirements.